Hi!

I'm Alan, I'm a dreamer and a developer with an over enthusiastic interest in most things tech. I have over 15 years web and app development experience leading me to over 10 years management and leadership experience and am always trying to better myself personally and professionally.

Check out my site and if you think I can help you, or you would be interested in getting in touch give me a shout.

Web Sites

Web sites have become the first port of call when you are trying to find something out about a business or a person. Everybody should have a website if they want to be found. Thankfully they are pretty easy to make and as long as you have an idea about what you want to say (and a few pictures always help!) you can get a website up and running pretty quickly and affordably.

Apps

It's pretty safe to say that Apps are here to stay. Be it an iPhone, Android device or Win8 phone or tablet, people are downloading and using apps. They are a development niche area and are usually reserved for people who are serious about their company or brand due to their creation being more complex and demanding a higher cost. If you are interested in app development (as I very much am) however they are immensely fun to put together and thoroughly rewarding when complete!

Social Media

Who isn't on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn these days!? Social media is everywhere and more importantly being checked by millions of people every second. People will be talking about you and your business whether you're in the room or not, so knowing how to use social media effectively can make add a whole new level to marketing and customer relations - and getting involved doesn't have to cost the earth!

Résumé

Here's some of what I've accomplished professionally and where I’ve had the pleasure of doing it.

Employment

2013

Present

Best Companies Limited

Head of Innovation

Following JH Austin Group merging with Best Companies I have been given the role of Head of Innovation. My role involves managing the IT and product development functions in the company which involves looking for new and creative ways to involve us in and embrace the future of technology.

With a background in and continuing passion for application development I hold a love for technology, gadgets and sci-fi. I thrive on finding ways that technology can serve to make processes simpler, easier and more fun in the work place.

I am fortunate to have had my passion supported and nurtured through my career so far and my current role affords me the freedom to explore what more the world of development has to offer alongside a great group of similar minded people.

1998

2013

JH Austin Group Limited

Application Development Manager

A key member of a department of developers working in Microsoft technologies, now expanding to include alternative technologies including iPad and iPhone

Since starting with JH Austin in 1998 I have been a leading factor in creating and developing a fast growing department which is now providing application development services to a number of internal clients. We source, develop and support online and desktop applications for our clients aiming to meet and surpass any requirement asked of us using whatever technology or skillset required or requested.

Alongside developing applications I also manage a great group of developers taking a strong interest in staff motivation and wellbeing inspired by my peers and the Best Companies methodology. We work in a very fast paced, continuously evolving environment and are rewarded with a wealth of technology and support to see us through.

Microsoft

Microsoft® Certified Technical Specialist

Skills

Ideas & Concepts

Coming up with ideas, thoughts about what can be done to make your brand and site stand out is one of my biggest strengths. This is about knowing what is out there and discovering how it can be used to help you get ahead

App Development

Apps are here to stay. Be it mobile, tablet, iPhone, Android or Win8, having an app shows that you're serious about being seen and accessible. Although tricky to make, they are one of the most enjoyable parts of development and the results speak for themselves

Web Development

Everybody needs a website ... enough said. If you haven't got one, get one - they can be as simple or complex as you want but there's no escaping that if you haven't got a website you're missing out to somebody that has

Graphic Design

Graphics and User Experience (UX) are what I enjoy doing, but aren't one of my biggest skills. Luckily there are plenty of great resources out there to help with this. Where coming up with new images isn't a natural strength of mine I am pretty good at finding, working with and making others' images look good

Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr ... the number of online social avenues that you can use to express yourself or market yourself are growing year on year. While you can use 'social' to keep in touch and see what's going on, used correctly it is also an immensely powerful marketing tool that can be used to transform a business

Databases

Data is such a big and important part of the world - collecting it, analysing it, interpreting it and using it to produce results. Understanding how to collect, store, query and display data in a way that makes it accessible is something I enjoy and am pretty good at doing